Chasing Integrity v. Chasing Numbers

No, we're not discussing morality; by integrity, we are referring to structural coherence, how well your body is put together.

We all know about progressive overload but, the pursuit of ever heavier numbers is a fool's errand. I'll grant you it is fun. Motivating even. But eventually, at some point, in order to continue seeing those numbers climb, you are going to have to narrow your focus and become very specialized.

There is nothing wrong with deadlifts and back squats; great exercises. Everyone should do them. But on their own, they do not build full structural integrity. Sure, I know serious lifters also use accessory exercises to round out their programming, but it isn't enough. Not in the long term.

These exercises are great for developing strength, but they don't train us the way the body is designed to move. Chasing strength, we achieve stiffness, rigidity and lose the ability to flow.

Strength Without Sacrificing Movement

"Be like water," Bruce Lee famously said. Bruce did not shun strength training. By incorporating weight training into his regimen, Bruce broke from martial tradition, which historically scorned gym culture. But he used weights to complement, not replace, his training, which continued to focus on movement. He didn't trade pliability for strength.

The Weck Method focuses on rotational movement and external and internal torsion. Original Strength does too, though they use different words to describe it. These are game-changers for people whose bodies have been rendered strong but stiff from years spent in the gym.

Strong but Brittle

Strong but brittle. You know that guy. Maybe you've been him. I know I have. Can lift big weights in the gym but is liable to put his back out bending down to tie his shoes. I am leaving that guy behind.

Yes, I still have numerical goals that I am working toward, but I am no longer willing to pursue them at the expense of movement quality. Now I am pursuing full-body functional strength that makes my body resilient in every position.

This represents a shift from the purely quantitative approach to prioritizing quality instead. It is no longer just how much I'm moving but how well I am moving. It is a slower road, to be sure, but I contend that it is a more sustainable one. And as a bonus, the strength I am developing in the gym shows up everywhere in my life outside the gym. It's real-world strength, not just gym strength.

Building a Body With No Weak Spots

Real structural integrity is a body with no weak spots, no limitations. I love weight training and believe it plays an important role in my pursuit of fitness, but all the king's back squats and all the king's deadlifts will never put Humpty together again.